1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to therapeutic packs and more particularly to refillable cold packs designed for single patient use.
2. Description of the Background
Cold packs or ice packs are oftentimes used for treating specific injuries by cooling or chilling a region of a persons' body. There are a variety of cold packs available for treating specific injuries. One type of cold pack used is a refillable cold pack designed specifically for single patient use.
Cold packs designed for single patient use are oftentimes of a smaller size and difficult to fill. Currently, to fill these types of cold packs the inner bag portion of the cold pack must be manually held open as ice or other cooling material is loaded into the inner bag. Filling in this manner is difficult and oftentimes results in waste and mess. Additionally, filling in this manner is inefficient. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a refillable cold pack designed for single patient use that is easier to fill resulting in less waste, mess and improved efficiency.
Additionally, cold packs designed for single patient use are oftentimes comprised of an inner bag to hold the cold material, such as ice, and an outer bag in which the inner bag is located. One problem that occurs with this design is that once the inner bag is filled with the cold material, it may move around within the outer bag and not hold it's shape relative to the outer bag. This prevents equal distribution of the cold material within the cold pack. Therefore, there is a need for a refillable cold pack designed for single patient use that provides equal distribution of the cold material within the cold pack.
Finally, a clip must be used with the cold packs designed for single patient use to seal and close the inner bag once it is filled with the cooling material. Oftentimes, the clip is attached to the bag with tape. Pieces of tape are commonly used to attach the clip to the bag. However, the tape oftentimes comes loose or tears resulting in the loss of the clip. Additionally, the tape may lose it's ability to hold the clip in place over time. Once the tape comes loose, tears or loses it's ability to hold the clip in place, it becomes difficult and inconvenient to keep the clip and the bag together. Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved method of holding the bag clip in place on the cold pack when the cold pack is not in use. Additionally, should the clip become separated from the cold pack, there is a need in the art for a method of easily reattaching the clip to the cold pack.